Abstract
It is particularly difficult for healthcare providers to deliver optimal medical care to multimorbid middle-aged persons because patients' professional activities, family lives, and other everyday responsibilities hinder them from making necessary lifestyle changes. Our aim was to find out how patients and healthcare providers view and manage the problems of dealing with multimorbidity in middle age. This qualitative study consisted of three steps. First, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 purposively sampled middle-aged persons living with multimorbidity to explore the experiences of care in the context of their leisure time, family lives, and work. Second, further individual interviews were carried out to find out the views of 14 healthcare providers. Third, the results of the interviews with patients and healthcare providers were presented to and discussed with four healthcare providers at an interprofessional workshop. Interview data was coded using an inductive-deductive approach and analyzed using content analysis. While patients reflected on challenges in several life domains, healthcare providers differentiated between levels of challenges. Both shared recommendations for better care including i) helping patients cope, ii) providing relief in activities of daily living, iii) continuity of care, iv) interprofessional cooperation, v) health promotion/prevention, vi) expansion of health services and vii) general system-level changes. Furthermore, the healthcare provider workshop highlighted the importance of increasing patient-centeredness, reducing complexity through a care coordinator and promoting interprofessional cooperation/networking. To further improve the care of patients living with multimorbidity, barriers to managing multiple chronic conditions and facilitators to navigating complex care scenarios should be explored not only for people beyond working age, but for individuals in their mid-life specifically.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
